


Worth a Thousand Words

by evieva



Category: Free!
Genre: Bus, Drabble, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluffy Ending, M/M, Multi, One Shot, Sleepiness, Watching Someone Sleep, idek, makoharu - Freeform, maybe and probably, minor sourin tho, sourin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-23
Updated: 2015-02-23
Packaged: 2018-03-14 17:57:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3420182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evieva/pseuds/evieva
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Makoto and Rin had volunteered at Sasabe's Swimming school, and they decide to take the same bus, but each end of falling asleep on their 'boyfriends'. Haru doesn't mind though...for some reason he feels glad that Makoto falls asleep on him.</p>
<p>Fluffy/random/based on that one picture/idk where to find it/it was official art/drabble/one-shot</p>
            </blockquote>





	Worth a Thousand Words

Haruka Nanase watched the scenery pass by, head rested in his hand, as he, Makoto, Rin, and Sosuke traveled back to their dorms/homes on a bus coming from Coach Sasabe’s swimming school. Makoto had volunteered along with Rin to help the coach with the little ones, since the coach had his hands full yet again. Haruka ran into Sosuke on his way to pick-up Makoto, and they sat the remainder of the waiting time in silence, until Makoto and Rin joined them.

                After a bit of arranging with Sasabe, Rin said they should take the same bus so they could catch up a bit. Haru had countered with the fact that they had seen each other mere hours ago, to which Rin replied with an arm wrapped firmly around Haru’s shoulders, laughing at his seriousness.

                Now, Rin was almost asleep as they rode the bus back home, exhausted from his extra workout—and Makoto wasn’t far behind him. Makoto was nodding a bit, cuddling his backpack, and whenever the bus would hit a bump, he would blink rapidly, jumping, and claim he was awake. If he was completely honest with himself, and Haruka usually was, it was starting to annoy him, in a weird way. It was obvious that Makoto was very tired, but too considerate to…lean on Haru. Not that he could ever possibly _want_ Makoto to lean on him while he slept, it just—seemed like the nice thing to do.

                Haru glanced over in Rin and Sosuke’s direction, finding that Rin was dozing off as well, shoulder digging into the bigger boy’s, causing him to move his own shoulder away. Sosuke didn’t seem to be in any kind of pain, though his expression showed something close to it. Sosuke looked up and caught Haruka’s eye, which was quickly moved away, so it almost seemed he wasn’t looking entirely. Haru turned his attention to something different instead; Makoto. The tall, dirty-blond teen was nodding his head once again. Haru predicted there wasn’t much time until the next bump, and when it would come, the water-lover wouldn’t know what to do. His poor friend would jump, and would probably long for nothing more than to lean against something soft.

                Haruka turned his attention back to the window, leaning his cheek into his hand. He counted the seconds between Makoto’s breathing beginning to deepen, and the sudden bump that would jerk him awake.

                “I-I’m awa—“

                “Makoto,” Haru interrupted him before he could finish. Makoto looked at the black haired boy, eyes widened slightly in anticipation. Haruka stared at him, in silence.

  
                “Ah, sorry, I—don’t mean to be a bother,” Makoto itches his cheek, smiling bashfully. “I’m just a little tired, is all…”

                “I know,” Haru almost mumbled. He moved his head to the side, not saying anything, hoping Makoto would catch on. Makoto glanced down at Haru’s shoulder, generally confused for a moment, realization slowly crossing his face.

                “Oh, Haru, I couldn’t,” Makoto said, a soft smile crossing his face. “I’ll be—fine until I get home.” He continued, though his protest was interrupted by an unconvincing yawn. Haruka shrugged his shoulder, inviting Makoto again, but he continued to refuse. The freestyle swimmer waited patiently for Makoto to fall asleep once more. This time, Makoto leaned back, his neck exposed, and his head flung backward, looking completely uncomfortable.

                When Haru heard the back-strokers heavy breathing, he glanced up, and reached to move Makoto’s head down to lean on his shoulder. Once Makoto was settled, the next bump came, and jostled them only a little. Good—now Makoto could snooze comfortably until they got back home. Haruka hadn’t realized he was watching Makoto sleep until, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rin finally flop onto Sosuke’s shoulder. Sosuke stiffened, and Haru scanned his face for a sign of pain. He knew his shoulder was a little messed up, and some days were worse than others for Sosuke, but there wasn’t a hint of pain—just a bit of discomfort.

                Haruka watched as Sosuke attempted to move his shoulder away from Rin’s head, but to no avail. The sleeping red-head simply moved along with Sosuke, adjusting his position accordingly. A quick glance down at Rin almost made Sosuke relax, and Haru watched his shoulders droop a bit.

                “You’re ridiculous,” Haruka just barely heard Sosuke mumble to Rin, before they both locked eyes.

                Sosuke smiled at Haru a bit. “I saw what you did.” He said, quietly.

                “What?” Haruka replied, nonchalantly. Sosuke nodded his head at Makoto, sleeping soundly. Haru would’ve shrugged, but he didn’t want to disturb Makoto. Instead, he blinked in response, glancing down at Makoto like it wasn’t a big deal. Sosuke sniffed.

                Now, Haru wasn’t yet sure of his boundary’s around his new ‘friend’ Sosuke. Should there be room for more conversation than the usual two sentences? Haru wasn’t sure. Maybe he should test the water while they were still alone, and engaged.

                And it seemed best for Haru to do so, because, for some reason, he felt the need to challenge Sosuke a bit more.

                “What about him?” He gestured to Rin, who was now drooling, as far as Haru could tell.

                Sosuke looked down at Rin, making a face that said somewhere between ‘I don’t know what I’ll do with you’ and ‘I seriously can’t believe I’m friends with you’.

                At least that’s what Haru picked up on.

                “Whatever,” Sosuke said, though Haru knew that’s not what he was really thinking. He wondered if Sosuke knew that Haru saw the looks he’d give Rin—like he really admired him, or rather, adored him. If he _was_ aware of Haru’s knowledge, he wasn’t keen on bringing it up. Which was fine with Haru, as long as everything remained calm and normal in his life—though that normality might be shattered when he and Makoto are…

                Haruka shook the thought from his mind, moving his eyes away from Sosuke to look at Makoto. His peaceful face gave him some reassurance, and he felt a small smile turn the corners of his mouth upwards. Sosuke cleared his throat, causing Haruka to glance up.

                “Our stops coming up,” He almost whispered. “Um…would you mind…” He huffed through his nose, seeming bothered. “Would you mind telling me how to wake him?”

                Haru blinked, his eyes opening a bit more than usual. In all the time he had known Sosuke, he’d never once asked for help. Haru looked down and thought for a minute, trying, at least, to be as helpful as possible.

                “I think I usually just whispered his name until he woke up,” Haru said, finally, recalling the times he’d been invited to sleep over at Rin’s. Sosuke didn’t seem convinced, but he looked down at Rin, and nudged him with his shoulder a bit, as the bus came to a stop at Samezuka Academy.

                “Rin,” Sosuke whispered, his deep voice making it a little louder than he maybe intended. He repeated his name again, and this time Haru heard a grumble.

                “What?” Rin spat, sounding a little ticked that he’d be woken.

                “We’re here,” Sosuke replied, not changing his expression. Rin rubbed his eye.

                “Wha—oh,” He suddenly realized he was lying on Sosuke’s shoulder. “Hey, was I sleeping on you?”

                Sosuke gave him a look as he gathered Rin’s bag.

                “Idiot, you should’ve moved me!” Rin said, fully awake now. Sosuke shrugged standing and flinging the bag over his good shoulder. He made his way around Rin’s legs, and Rin stood to follow him. “Oi! Let me carry my bag, at least! Sosuke!”

                They bickered all the way off the bus, and when it got kind of loud, Haru could’ve sworn he heard Makoto grumble something  about ‘five more minutes’, and then smoosh his head deeper into Haru’s neck, his hair tickling the black-haired free-stylist. Rin darted off the bus last, giving a rushed goodbye to Haru, before immediately snapping back at something Sosuke said that Haru couldn’t hear. He wasn’t paying much attention to that either. Something about what Makoto had just done set off a spark that Haru couldn’t pinpoint.

                The bus’s doors hissed shut, and, with a small jerk, it continued to its last destination, shaking Haru from his thoughts, his spark fading. The only boy awake on the bus returned his attention to the window, never looking at anything in particular, just staring into space. Time seemed to go by faster when he did that. And, though it was nice, Haruka kind of wanted to get home and away from others for a bit.

                When the bus stopped, Haru turned to look at Makoto who hadn’t budged the whole time. He took the shoulder he could reach, and gently shook Makoto, saying his name softly. The tall boy sat up rubbing his eyes, like he usually did, and glanced up at Haru. He gasped softly, as Haru reached for his bag.

                “Haru! Why didn’t you tell me!? I could’ve moved!” He fussed, shaking Haru, but he didn’t reply. He didn’t want Makoto to know that he had moved him to lay there. And, plus, he was still stuck on what he was thinking about for the rest of the ride here—the spark he felt. It had been a while since he felt something like that, though he couldn’t recall specifics times as to when it had happened before.

                 As their walk proceeded, Makoto let go of the fact that Haru let him sleep on his shoulder, and began to talk about the kids he coached, and how fun it was to have Rin join them. He also suggested Haru try training the kids, professing the idea that he would enjoy it. But Haru was silent most of the walk along the shore, and when they reached the stairs that would lead them to their separate houses, Haruka stopped Makoto by touching his wrist, almost ghost-like. Makoto was really good at detecting Haru’s thoughts and actions, even if they were practically unnoticeable.

                “I think it’s really great what you do for those kids.” Haruka murmured, almost soundlessly.

                “Huh?” Makoto said, staring down at his best friend.

                Haru didn’t look up—or rather, he couldn’t. There were so many things unsaid that lingered on his tongue, and filled his throat, but he couldn’t bring himself to say any of it. This had become a poor habit of his. Haruka usually let his actions speak for him. And whether or not anyone picked up on them was up to them, and fine with him. But Haru knew that Makoto picked up on whatever Haru was thinking, even if his expression remained neutral.

                Haruka gently pulled down on Makoto’s arm, to bring him to about his level, before tilting his head up to give Makoto’s cheek a small kiss.

                It wasn’t meant as a gesture to induce a sort of panic, but Makoto seemed to take it that way, stuttering, all flustered and red. Haru squeezed Makoto’s wrist a bit to stop him from plittering on.

                “Makoto,” He said, voice low, looking straight into Makoto’s face. “Don’t worry about it. It was nothing.”

                With that, Haruka released Makoto’s wrist, and began climbing his staircase.

                “Nothing…” He heard Makoto breathe, as he climbed the steps. When he reached the top, he heard Makoto let out a short laugh. 

                “Good night, Haru,” He said, almost to himself, before climbing his own set of steps.

                _Good night, Makoto._

 


End file.
